The BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recently made a number of polarizing remarks in Parliament with the intention of dividing Jharkhand’s Muslim and tribal populations. His comments appear to be intended to cause a stir and create division in the run-up to the state assembly elections. This is a thorough examination of his speech and the underlying intentions.
š§µDecoding Nishikant Dubey's speech in parliament
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1. He started with the Tribals population decreasing in Jharkhand after the state was formed.
-Jharkhand was formed in 2000. Census was done in 2001 and 2011, after which census has not been conducted to date.
-So is he talkingā¦ pic.twitter.com/jNAsCUXMBX
Decrease in Tribal Population in Jharkhand
He started with the Tribals population decreasing in Jharkhand after the state was formed.
At the outset of his speech, Nishikant Dubey asserted that Jharkhand’s tribal population had declined since the state’s formation in 2000. He mentioned data from the 2001 and 2011 censuses, but he neglected to mention that there hasn’t been a census since 2011.
This begs the important question: is he relying on out-of-date information or does he have access to additional, secret sources of this data? It is challenging to confirm the veracity of Dubey’s claim because it lacks clear evidence and appears to be made to frighten the public. This strategy is frequently employed to sow doubt and fear, which can then be exploited for political advantage. Dubey leaves his assertion vulnerable to criticism and interpretation because he does not cite his data source.
Questionable Data on Tribal Decline
He said 10% of adivasis had decreased and no one in the parliament is worried about it.
Dubey continued by claiming that there had been a 10% decline in the tribal population and accusing Parliament of being blind to the problem. His data’s accuracy is seriously questioned if it is based on voter information collected at each booth. Since voters make up a small percentage of the population, there is no direct correlation between voter and population data.
For example, over a ten-year period, if a village’s population increases from 100 to 200, but the number of tribal people increases from 36 to 48, the percentage of tribal people would decrease from 36% to 24%.
This suggests that other populations have grown more quickly than the tribal population, which does not necessarily imply a decline in the tribal population. Dubey’s assertion that Muslims make up the majority of the newcomers is unfounded and seems to be an intentional attempt to mislead the public. Dubey’s argument appears to be an attempt to fabricate a false narrative by leaving out data regarding the Hindu population.
Targeting JMM-Congress Alliance
He specifically mentioned JMM+Congress Alliance in Jharkhand and said they are not taking any action
Comparing the results of the recent Lok Sabha election to the previous assembly election, Dubey mentioned a booth-by-booth increase in the share of Muslim votes. This claim is still unconfirmed, though, as Form 20 for the Jharkhand Lok Sabha election of 2024 is not available. Dubey is probably attempting to imply that the growing Muslim population poses a threat to the tribal community by bringing up the rise in Muslim votes.
The goal of this kind of discourse is to divide voters along religious lines, which is a popular tactic used to acquire political advantage. Dubey’s claim is still conjectural in the absence of hard data, and it is best to approach it with caution.
Fearmongering in Pakur District
Dubey asserted that Hindus in Jharkhand’s Pakur district are being driven out by individuals from West Bengal. West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha are all bordered by Jharkhand.
Three of these states are governed by the BJP, while one is not. Dubey is singling out West Bengal as an example of a non-BJP state while ignoring comparable problems that might occur in states with BJP rule. This deliberate targeting is an obvious attempt to place the blame on political rivals and draw attention away from the BJP’s own failings.
Furthermore, Nishikant Dubey is attempting to instill a sense of urgency and fear in Hindu voters by introducing the narrative that “Hindus are in danger,” or “Hindu khatre me hai.” By depicting Hindus as vulnerable and in danger, this strategy aims to garner support from the community.
Call for NRC Implementation
Dubey’s proposal to establish the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Jharkhand is reminiscent of the NRC fiasco in Assam, where the BJP administration expended ā¹1527.90 crores on an endeavor that ultimately proved futile and resulted in the wastage of public funds.
Dubey is trying to advance a divisive agenda that has already proven problematic in other states by supporting the NRC in Jharkhand. Many lawful citizens could lose their rights to vote as a result of the NRC process, which has drawn criticism for having the potential to cause serious social and political instability. Dubey’s demand for the implementation of the NRC appears to be an effort to further divide and mistrust the populace rather than tackling the actual problems Jharkhand is facing.
My Take on Nishikant Dubey’s Speech
I spoke to several politicians, journalists and socio-political organization regarding this matter in the past 2 weeks. As usual, the BJP is spreading religious polarization and hatred before the assembly elections. Just 5 years back when BJP was in power with Raghubar Das being the CM of Jharkhand this issue was nowhere to be found neither in state level or in national level.
An important fact that gets covered in all this is the development of Jharkhand. If we talk about Tribals then their land is being used by companies to set up factories. Tribals are forced to move to cities or outside of Jharkhand just to earn minimum wage for daily needs. Nobody is talking about this. Jharkhand’s minerals are one of the largest sources for the whole country but is it being used for the development of the people of Jharkhand?
The situation of Jharkhandi especially the Tribals has not improved in the last several decades. Who will talk about this? Bangladeshi infiltrator is an easy point to create a rift between tribals and Muslims who are peacefully living together at many places in Jharkhand. Narratives like this will cause hatred and violence and history tells it, how the BJP will benefit from all of this.